Snap switch



1962 A. A. BREVICK 3,050,599

SNAP SWITCH Filed Oct. 10, 1960 Fig. 6.

INVENTOR, ARNOLD A. BREVIGK 1208 ATTORNEY-5- United States Patent ()fifice 3,5h,59 Patented Aug. 21, 1952 3,050,599 SNAP SWETCH Arnold A. Brevick, Highland Park, 11]., assignor to Cherry Electrical Products Corp, Highland Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 61,617 6 Claims. (Cl. 2ll067) This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a snap switch and more particularly to a switch having a switch blade which is adapted to be moved with a snapaction into contact making and breaking positions.

An object of this invention is to provide in a switch of this character a switch blade having an inherent characteristic resulting from its functioning and operational conditions which assures positive snap movement in one direction as a result of a forced movement achieved through a mechanical actuator and a positive self-restoring snap movement in an opposite direction.

A further object of my invention is in the provision in a switch of this character of a means for maintaining and increasing switch contact pressures until the blade moves with a snap-action into its opposite con-tact position.

A still further object of my invention is in the provision in a switch blade of this character of a means whereby the switch blade may be more economically manufactured and which by its construction assures greater consistency between blades of this character.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of my improved snap switch blade as employed in the snap-action switch;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the switch blade in its mounted inoperative position;

FIGS. 3 through 6 are fragmentary side elevational views of the snap switch blade showing progressive positions thereof during its movement.

The present invention relates to a snap switch having a switch blade which when positioned in a predetermined relationship within a switch structure will result in a snap movement of the blade through forced motivation by a switch actuator and which will result in a self-restoring movement upon the release of the forced motivation. Heretofore in snap-action switches it has been customary to provide a movable contact switch blade with a cooperating tension member which acted upon the switch blade in such a manner that movement of the blade was obtained through the tension member. In my present device the switch blade when operatively positioned possesses certain inherent characteristics which permit a snap movement thereof without the necessity of a cooperating tension member.

Referring to FIG. 1 I disclose a substantially flat rectangular switch blade 10. A contact 11 is carried by the blade adjacent one end.

The switch blade 10 is adapted to be mounted between two fixed members 16 and 17. Each of these members 16 and 17 have struck therein V-shaped recesses 18 and 19 which are adapted to receive opposite ends of the blade 10. The distance between the members 16 and 17 is less than the longitudinal length of the switch blade 10. As a result of these differences the blade 10 when in serted between the members 16 and 17 is subject to compression and will endeavor to assume the are 20 as depicted by the dotted line in FIG. 1. However, the normal are of the blade is distorted by the presence of a fixed contact member 21. As the fixed or stationary contact 21 is located adjacent the member 16 and one end of the blade 10 it forces the blade 11) to bow upwardly adjacent the opposite end of the blade 11) and the member 17. The blade 10 will assume the configuration as shown in FIG. 2.

The stationary contact 21 is disposed in a horizontal plane that is slightly higher than the horizontal plane which extends between the V-shaped recesses 18 and 19. Such placement of the stationary contact 21 will result in an inclination of the blade 10 between the recess 18 and a point 22 of contact between an actuator member 23 and the blade 11) which has less slope than the inclination of the blade 11! between the recess 11 and the contact point 22 of the actuator 23 as seen in FIG. 2. In other words when the blade 10 is placed between the members 16 and 17 and is deformed by the stationary contact 21, the blade will have a smaller angle A between its end disposed in the recess 18 and the contact point 22 of the actuator 23, with respect to a reference line B, than the resulting angle C formed by the end portion of the switch blade 11) inserted in recess 19, and the contact point 22 of the actuator 23. It should also be noted that the distance between the stationary contact 21 and the contact point 22 of the actuator 23 is greater than the distance between the recess 1% and the stationary contact 21. This combined with the small angle A results in having that portion of the blade 11) between the contact 11 thereon and the contact point 22 of the actuator 23 the most flexible area of the blade 11 The actuator 23 must be disposed so as to contact the blade 10 at a point immediately to the left of the apex of the how 27 and to the right of the contact 11, a distance equal to the distance between the contact 21 and the V-shaped recess 18. It should be noted that if the angle C is increased due to a greater compression between the members 16 and 17 the point of contact of the actuator 23 with respect to the blade 10 will move to the left of the new apex of the bow. For the snap switch heretofore disclosed to perform in its desired manner it is evident that the point of actuation of the actuator 23 will move to the left of the apex of the blade 10 in a direct relationship to the C angle of inclination of the blade 10 as it is disposed between the members 16 and 17.

Referring to FIG. 3 it will be noted that as the actuator 23 is depressed the material of the blade 10 is forced downward and in escaping the constant compression placed thereon by the members 16 and 17 the blade 10 will bow at the most flexible area and form a how 24. The bowing of the blade at 24 will result in an opposite bow as at 25 thus maintaining the contact pressure between the contact 11 and the stationary contact 21. This contact pressure is maintained until the how 24 is forced to extend below the horizontal plane that extends between the V-shaped notches 18 and 19 and is represented as line B. When the how 24- passes below line B the how 25 will reverse itself and integrate with the how 24 with a snap, into the position shown in FIG. 4, where the contact 11 is shown to be moved into contact with the contact 26.

If the bow 2'7 formed in the blade 10 between the contact point 22 and the V-notch 19 remains above line B the blade 10 will have a tendency to assume its normal posi tion as shown in FIG. 2 and therefore would return itself with a snap-action to that position if the actuator 23 is withdrawn out of contact with the blade 10. If, however, the actuator 23 is caused to travel beyond its trip point as seen in FIG. 4, or overtravel, the blade 10 will take the position as seen in FIG. 5. In such condition a how 24', as well as a how 25', will be formed much in the manner resulting from the initial movement of the actuator 23, except at this point the bows 24 and 25' will be in the same direction and not oppose each other as was described and is shown in FIG. 3.

When the actuator button is released the spring tendency of the blade seeks to remove the bows 24 and at the expense of an increased bow 29 in the blade 10 between the actuator 23 at the recess 19. When the bows 24 and 25 have returned to the horizontal plane as indicated by line B, they are no longer held in compression and a new bow 2% which extends from the recess 18 to the contact point 22 of the retreating actuator 23 appears.

This bow 28 with the bow 29 now forms the. blade 10 into a substantially S-shaped configuration. As the force of the actuator 23 decreases to a position where it is no longer able to hold the blade 10 in such S-shape the bow 27 will snap back to its original position as seen in FIG. 2 and re-engage the contact 11 with the stationary contact 21.

While the drawings herein and the specification heretofore described stated that the blade 10 prior to insertion between the members 16 and 17 was flat it should also be noted that the blade may be a round wire or the like and may be preformed to have a number of convolutions. It is desirable to have the blade 10 have an accentuated fiexible area. As shown, one method to achieve this result is to notch-out the blade as at 14 and 15. This area can be made in other ways such as by slotting the blade 10 or coining the blade in the desired area. The preferred flat type blade however permits the manufacturer to stamp the blade from a preheated flat stock, thus eliminating the need of tempering the same after its formation. This results in a saving of manufacturing costs and presents greater material consistency in blades so made.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A self-restoring snap switch having a movable actuator and an actuated blade, said blade having a flexible area resulting therein between its opposite ends, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on opposite sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression members providing seat means for opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contacts distorting the bow of said blade so as to change the angles of inclination of said bow at opposite ends of said blade between said members and the point of engagement of said actuator, with the flexible area of said blade disposed between the point of contact of the blade and either of said stationary contacts and said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to cause said area to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon obtaining a predetermined curvature causing said blade to snap into engagement with the other of said stationary contacts.

2. A self-restoring switch blade for a snap-action switch having a movable actuator, said blade provided with a preformed flexible area between its opposite ends, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on opposite sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression members provided horizontally aligned oppositely extending V-notches for receiving opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contacts distorting the bow of said blade so as to change the angles of inclination of said bow at opposite ends of said blade between said members and the point of engagement of said actuator, with the fiexible area of said blade disposed between the point of contact of the blade and either of said stationary contacts and said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to cause said area to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon obtaining a predetermined curvature causing said blade to snap into engagement with the other of said stationary contacts.

3. A self-restoring snap switch having a movable actuator and an actuated blade, said blade having a flexible area resulting therein between its opposite ends, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on opposite sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression member-s providing seat means for opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contacts so positioned with respect to said compression members and said actuator so as to distort the bow of said blade so as to form a lesser angle of inclination thereof at one end of said blade, with the flexible area of said blade disposed between the point of contact of the blade and either of said stationary contacts and said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to cause said area to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon obtaining a predetermined curvature causing said blade to snap into engagement with the other to said stationary contacts.

4. A switch having a snap-action blade movable by an actuator, said blade provided with a preformed flexible area between its opposite ends, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on opposite sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression members providing horizontally aligned oppositely extending V-notches for receiving opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contact-s distorting the bow of said blade so as to change the angles of inclination of said bow at opposite ends of said blade between said members and the point of engagement of said actuator, with the flexible area of said blade disposed between the point of contact of the blade and either of said stationary contacts and said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to cause said area to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon obtaining a predetermined curvature causing said blade to snap into engagement with the other of said stationary contacts.

5. A snap-action switch having a movable actuator and an actuated blade, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on oppoiste sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression members providing seat means for opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contacts distorting the bow of said blade so as to change the angles of inclination of said bow at opposite ends of said blade between said members and the point of engagement of said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon reaching the horizontal plane between said members will cause said blade to snap into engagement with the other of said stationary contacts.

6. A switch having a snap-action blade movable by an actuator, a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart stationary contacts disposed on opposite sides of said blade, a pair of spaced apart compression members providing horizontally aligned oppositely extending V-notches for receiving opposite ends of said blade, said blade being of a length greater than the distance between said compression members and thereby bowed out of a horizontal plane and into contact with one of said stationary contacts when mounted therebetween and in the direction of said actuator, said one of said stationary contacts distorting the bow of said blade so as to change the angles of inclination of said bow at opposite ends of said blade between said members and the point of engagement of said actuator, said blade movable toward the horizontal plane between said members by movement of said actuator in one direction against a portion thereof so as to form an oppositely extending bow between said one of said contacts and said actuator, said oppositely extending bow upon reaching the horizontal plane between said members will cause said blade to snap into engagement with the other of said stationary contacts,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,074,132 Rich Mar. 16, 1937 2,113,227 Bokeeno Apr. 5, 1938 2,133,309 Schmidinger Oct. 18, 1938 2,501,497 Clark Mar. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 520,482 Great Britain Apr. 25, 1940 

